INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN – A process of design applied to products that are to be manufactured through some measure of mass production. Industrial designers not only focus on the appearance of a product, but also on how it functions, is manufactured and ultimately the value and experience it provides for users. Appling a key understanding of human interaction or use, Industrial Designers create products that are intuitive, safe, environmentally appropriate, and efficient.

Emerging as a professional practice at the turn of the 20th century, industrial design has come a long way since its early inception and has achieved greater importance as a result of design thinking in business and the need for critical problem solving. Pioneers like Walter Dorwin Teague, Norman Bel Geddes, and Henry Dreyfuss paved the way for modern industrial designers.

“Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose.” – Charles Eames

“Good design makes a product understandable.” – Dieter Rams

“It’s very easy to make something that is new. So we are trying to make things that are better.” – Jonathan Ive

In professional practice, industrial designers are often part of multidisciplinary teams made up of strategists, engineers, user interface (UI) designers, user experience (UX) designers, project managers, branding experts, graphic designers, customers and manufacturers all working together towards a common goal. The collaboration of so many different perspectives allows the design team to understand a problem to the fullest extent, then craft a solution that skillfully responds to the unique needs of a user.